Tag Archives: “live pledge”

The weeklong “no pledge pledge” wrapped up Friday evening during public affairs on KLRU and members of the Texas Tribune joined us in the studio to answer phones.

Throughout the evening assistant managing editor Emily Ramshaw shared some insights on the mission of the non-profit media organization. Along with original reporting the Tribune shares open records information and databases in innovative ways on their website. In fact two of the Tribune’s most popular pages are the government employee salary database and the red light camera database. Texans like to know what others are earning and how to avoid a ticket.

Another multimedia feature of the Tribune’s is the weekly TribCast. This informal conversation amoung the Tribune staff offers an interesting wrapup and viewpoints on the week’s events. KLRU is excited to be partnering with the Texas Tribune for a TribCast Live Texas Politics Roundup event. A contribution of $100 gets you 2 tickets to this event taking place this September in the Austin City Limits studio. Find more information on our website.

Thanks to the Texas Tribune for their help tonight. We also want to thank all the community groups and individuals who made this week such a success, we’ve been overwhelmed with the response. This week you proved this really is your station. Thank you.

The feature programming Thursday night was the premier of Citizen Architect: Samuel Mockbee and the Spirit of the Rural Studio and the people of Central Texas spoke loud and clear in support of the Austin film scene and their local PBS station.

KLRU staff were joined in the studio with volunteers from the Austin Film Society as well as the film’s producer and director, Sam Wainwright Douglas. Throughout the evening Sam shared stories about the production of the film, how he got interested in the Rural Studio and why community support is crucial for local filmmakers.

Special thanks to our volunteers from the Austin Film Society, tireless champions of Austin’s film scene.

Citizen Architect broadcasts nationally on PBS August 23rd. KLRU is proud to be the presenting station of this film.

The arts feature prominently on the regular Wednesday night lineup and on this evening some of Austin’s finest talents performed live on KLRU. Musician Austin Collins performed two songs throughout the premier of American Masters Neil Young: Don’t Be Denied. His soulful, rootsy sound was a fine accompaniment to Mr. Young’s music and stories.

Audiences had the delight of seeing great performances by the McCallum Fine Arts Academy during Great Performances In the Heights. Frankly, they blew us away.

Under the direction of Julie Wright and Scott Tatum, the cast of students grades 9-12 performed two selections from their bilingual adaptation of Evita. They are preparing to take their “show on the road” to Coast Rica this July. As Julie explains:

Community building, outreach and cultural exchange are the Theatre Department’s continuing goals as their bilingual Evita hits the road this coming summer. By working with local theatre professionals, immersion specialists and civic organizations in Central America, McCallum’s Fine Arts Academy has arranged to perform Evita in Costa Rica in July while participating in a two week learning program alongside local performers and technicians.

We wish them the best on their tour and will follow their adventures online.

It’s not a surprise to say the KLRU staff regularly have the honor to work with some of the best musicians and artists on the planet and the talent performing in studio 6B tonight was no exception; thanks to them and all of our community supporters.

The theme Tuesday night in studio 6B was exploration. Brought together by a heated debate over Pluto and the zeros and ones of the digital frontier, fans of science and media gathered together to support Austin’s PBS station

While members of the Austin Planetarium (@austinplanet) answered phones during NOVA program The Pluto Files, executive director Torval Hessel explained to viewers that the argument over Pluto was not a new one. In fact a book on astronomy published more than 100 years ago numbers 450 planets in our solar system, including Pluto. Mr. Hessel spoke earlier in the day to the host of NOVA, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson about Pluto. Listen to their conversation about angry letters from 4th graders, Neil’s first encounters with the night sky, and his thoughts on why Austin needs a planetarium.

The Austin Social Media Club (@SMCAustin) tweeted, blogged and updated their support throughout Frontline: Digital Nation. Co-founders David J Neff and Mike Chapman explained in interviews that social media is a two way conversation. If you’re just starting out try to just listen for awhile, it’ll be easier to understand the conversations taking place and your participation with have more value.

If you’d like to explore the summer sky through a telescope check out the free Austin under the Stars event, more information at Austin Planetarium’s website.

The Austin Social Media Club invites you to attend their next meeting and learn about the latest trends in social media with like minded folks. Check the events calendar at their facebook group.

A big thanks to everyone who supported NOVA and Frontline in their regular Tuesday time slots.

On Monday night, members of the community joined staff live in the studio to help fundraise for KLRU. It was a great kickoff to this week of live television breaks during the regular primetime lineup.

Throughout Antiques Roadshow Austin appraisers gave two lucky KLRU fans a professional examination of their jewelry. Rebekkah Kwast brought in watches that had belonged to her grandmother. After Ralph Mothnar gave a closer look at one of the pieces, a gold watch he discovered to still be in working condition, he determined the value to be around $300.

Elizabeth Chapman’s antique ring proved to be a big surprise. She knew the piece was from her grandmother, a Mardi Gras queen in New Orleans, but was thrilled when Sarah Williams valued the Victorian era ring at more than $3000.

During American Experience we were joined for an interview with Sebastian Puente CEO, Cultural Strategies. Along with his insights on Austin’s Mexican American community he shared a touching story about watching A Class Apart together with his daughter and the important discussion on culture and history that followed.

Thank you to the phone volunteers and guests that made the evening very engaging. Our appraisers were Ralph Mothnar 512-797-1026 and Sarah Williams 512-452-6641.